Garment hanger



M. v; GRAY GARMENT HANGER April 4, 1939.-

Filed July 27, 1937 .Y Aw TE m M m W W T Q M 7 B Patented Apr. 4, 1939 UNITED STATES GARMENT HANGER Martin V. Gray, San Francisco, Calif, assignor of one-half to Wm. E. Schendel, Burlingame,

Calif.

Application July 27, 1937, Serial No. 155,938

1 Claim.

The invention generally relates to means for supporting garments and constitutes an improvement upon the garment hanger for which Letters Patent, No. 1,906,058, was granted to me on April 25, 1933.

As stated in my above mentioned Letters Patent, the garment hangers of my invention are especially suitable for use in commercial laundries and cleaning establishments wherein thousands of garments are received and kept for intervals of time prior to delivery to patrons. These hangers are also especially adaptable for use in clothing stores where it is desired, as in the above cases, to maintain new or freshly cleaned garments in unwrinkled and unsoiled condition. The non-slip feature of my hangers is a decided advantage in department stores wherein garments placed on hangers are handled by many persons. The designof the hanger lends itself to household use as well and its construction enables the retention thereon of even such flimsy garments as womens dresses made of sheer materials, such as silk, rayon and the like.

A primary object of the present improvement is to provide a garment hanger which affords more positive retention of garments thereon.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hanger of the aforementioned character which has a minimum of operative elements affording greater ease in slipping a garment off and on the hanger.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a garment hanger which is characterized by its simplicity of construction and hence its inexpensive cost of production.

Other objects of the invention, together with some of its advantageous features, will appear from the following description of a preferred and a modified embodiment of my present improvement illustrated in the accompanying drawing. While the drawing shows a preferred and one modified embodiment of this invention, it is to be understood that I am not to be limited to the embodiments illustrated, as my invention, as defined in the appended claim can be embodied in a plurality and variety of forms.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure l is a front elevation of a preferred embodiment of my present improvement, the view illustrating the same supporting a dress.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary front elevation, partly in section, of the embodiment shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective of the embodiment illustrated in Figure 1, the dotted lines indicating the pivotal mounting of the clamping element.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional detail, taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a front elevation of a modified embodiment of the invention.

In its preferred form, the improvement in garment hangers of my present invention preferably comprises a bar, means on said bar for suspending the same from a support, and a clamping element movably mounted on said means and resiliently connected to said bar for firmly clamping a garment on the hanger.

As illustrated in Figures 1 to 3 inclusive, I provide a bowed bar II which may be fabricated of wood, or a metal, or any other suitable material which can be finished to present smooth surfaces and upon which a garment can be hung without resultant tears or other damage. The bar H is provided at the middle thereof with a hook I2, or similar means, for suspending the bar from a rod or other support.

In the embodiment of the present invention, which is illustrated in Figures 1 to 3 inclusive, the bar I I is provided with a flat upper surface I3 for a portion of its length, such flat surface I3 preferably extending an equal distance on each side of the hook I2. In accordance with the invention, I provide a clamping element I4 for cooperation with the bar II and for firmly clamping a portion or portions of a garment upon the bar. The clamping element I l conveniently is provided with a lower flat surface I6 of equal length as the upper flat surface I3 of the bar I I, and these two fiat surfaces I3 and IE meet, as shown in Figure 3 of the drawing, when no garment is hung upon the hanger. The upper surface of the clamping element may be formed to any desired configuration but in the embodiment herein illustrated in Figures 1 to 3 inclusive of the drawing, I have shown the clamping element I4 formed with a convex upper surface so that the entire hanger has a concavo-convex form.

In accordance with the invention, the single clamping element I4 of the combination not only is movably mounted upon the hook I2 so that it can be raised and lowered thereon as well as pivoted with respect to the bar I I, but also is resiliently connected to the bar I I so that when the clamping element is raised from the bar it will rebound or spring back towards the bar when released. As illustrated, the hook I2 pierces the clamping element I4 at its middle although the clamping element is not fitted to the hook but rather is loosely mounted on the hook so as to be freely movable thereon. Any suitable means, such as spring means or an elastic, can be employed for resiliently connecting the clamping element I4 to the bar II. In the present embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the drawing, I have utilized an elastic band I I for resiliently connecting the bar II and element I 4, and a band which may be of the conventional type formed of webbing and india rubber strips. As shown, the band I1 is wrapped around the middles of the bar II and clamping element I1, is pierced by the hook I2, and the ends of the band Stitched or otherwise secured together.

In order to hang a garment, such as a woman's dress, upon the hanger, it is only necessary either to swing the clamping element I4 with respect to the bar I I, as illustrated in the dotted line showing of Figure 3 of the drawing, and place the shoulder straps I8 of the dress I9 on the upper fiat surface I3 of the bar, and then return the clamping element I 4, after slightly raising the same, to its normal position with respect to the bar II with the lower flat surface I6 of the clamping element I4 engaging and bearing against the shoulder straps of the garment and retained in that position by the action of the resilient or elastic band I'I. Or, the garment I 9 can be hung upon the hanger in the manner i1- lustrated by the dot and dash lines of Figure 2 of the drawing by raising first one side and then the other of the clamping element I4 against the action of the band II, or other resilient means employed, and slipping a portion or portions of the garment, such as the shoulder straps, between the clamping element and the bar before releasing the clamping element and allowing it to seat itself as a result of the spring action of the band II.

In Figure 5 of the drawing, I have illustrated a modified embodiment of my present improvement in garment hangers. In this modification, I provide a bowed bar III which conveniently may take the conventional concavo-convex form in its entirety and which is provided at its middle with the usual hook H3 or other means for suspending the bar from a rod or other support. In this modified embodiment, a clamping element I I4, which is pierced by the hook H3, is movably mounted on the hook and resiliently connected to the bar II I in the same manner as in the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 to 3 inclusive. As stated above, the resilient connecting means between the bar III and clamping element II4 conveniently may be an elastic band I I1, the ends of which are stitched or otherwise secured together, As illustrated, the band II! is pierced by the hook H3 and the band is stretched around the bar III and clamping element I I4 at their middles. In this modification, the clamping element I I4 has a concave lower surface which is complementary to the convex upper surface of the bar III and which closely fits the latter surface, as shown, when no garment is hung upon the hanger. The upper surface of the clamping element I I4 may take any desired form but preferably is shaped to conform to the neck line of a garment,such as a jacket or coat, so that the garment can properly be centered upon the hanger. The clamping element can be raised with respect to the bar I I I against the action of the elastic band Ill and can either be pivoted with respect to the bar III, as illustrated in Figure 3 of the drawing, for inserting a portion or portions of a garment between the clamping element H4 and the bar III or can be raised first on one side and then the other, as illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawing, when hanging the garment upon the hanger so as to dispose a portion or portions of the garment between the element and the bar.

It is of course understood that the bars I I and III can be made of wire and also that a wire clamping element I I and H4, for cooperation with said bar, may be utilized in lieu of wooden bars and clamping elements without departing from the scope of this invention.

It will be observed from the drawing of the present embodiments of my improvement in gar ment hangers that I have provided a hanger which insures a positive retention of a garment placed thereon and there is no likelihood that the garment will slip from the hanger.

It is to be understood that the appended claim is to be accorded a range of equivalents commensurate in scope with the advance made over the prior art.

I claim:

A garment hanger for positive clamping of garments thereon to insure against the likelihood --of the garments slipping therefrom, said garment hanger comprising a bar, a hook on said bar for suspending the bar from a rod or other support, a clamping element movably supported on said hook, and an elastic band yieldingly urging said clamping element against said bar.

, MARTIN V. GRAY. 

